


Dom's Cats

by esanabridges



Category: Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Series: Protector of the Small
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-17
Updated: 2018-01-17
Packaged: 2019-03-06 05:35:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13404540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esanabridges/pseuds/esanabridges
Summary: Cats liked Dom.





	Dom's Cats

**Author's Note:**

> Dom and Kel have one of my favorite relationships (however you want to classify it) in the Tortall universe, and I just adore both their characters individually, too. Kel has always and probably will always be one of my inspirations in life. Maybe someday, I can reach her heights (fingers crossed).

Cats liked Dom.

They were drawn to him, frequently intruding into his space when they sat at camp or lazing in one of his saddlebags when they rode. The sight made Lerant snicker and Lord Raoul chuckle, especially when Dom was forced to cram his supplies into one pouch because a cat occupied the other one, and _they_  could certainly not be squished in with the sharpening stones and spare burnooses. It amused his squad as well, who took quiet, but not that quiet bets about how long it would take for their sergeant to be completely overrun by the animals. They did not seem to mind the little shadows at all, offering food and scratches, though only the former was accepted, the latter carefully dodged unless they were feeling generous.

For his own part, Dom was amused by the antics of the creatures and only a little resigned to his fate. He was much more of a dog person, preferring their warmth and friendliness, since even the cats that sat with him refused to interact unless they began the contact. Yes, dogs were much more reasonable, showing their affection without reserve, but Dom had begun to see the rationality behind cats as well.

Hiding their feelings did not mean that they had none, and refusing to become too involved was a way to protect themselves in a world that would use all signs of weakness against them. It did not stop them from being incredibly successful at what they did, be it hunting or stealing food from beneath his nose or killing bandits with a long weapon sharp with iron, expression as blank as any Yamani.

She was not nearly as disdainful as any four-legged of her kind, but Dom thought of her as a cat anyway. She was quiet in the same way, always as cool as could be, though a little insight could reveal a lot, and she watched everything, taking in all that was around her, whether people wanted it seen or not. Though she might not say it, she understood, and she cared fiercely. The men of Dom's squad and the rest of the Own might have joked that cats were as likely to "eat you as help you", but Dom disagreed. None of his cats had never so much as nicked his skin, and to those that she cared about, she would never even consider it.

He enjoyed watching her grow. She might have done well as a cat forever, traveling and working alone, with only herself to command, but it was not meant to be, and frankly, Dom had not liked the thought. She was too talented, too inspiring in her quiet, bland, not at all inspiring way, and he was glad that Raoul had decided to take her on, to teach her to lead the pack. There was some dog now, the commander encouraged, but still, the cat never really fell away.

If he was to be honest, Dom liked the combination, liked teasing her sometimes just to see if he could get a reaction, but her mask was charmingly impenetrable. She did smile at him though, even if she did not blush bright red and demure prettily, and he liked her smile. It was warm, and it was real, and Dom decided that yes, this was a girl that he would follow to the ends of the earth if there was good reason to, even against insurmountable odds.

There was something intangible about it, and Dom wished that they had enough time together for him to explore it, but he kept moving, and so did she. When they saw each other, it was easy to fall into an old rhythm, and even if Dom never got anywhere with his half-hearted investigations of her, he took comfort in the fact that cats liked him -

And Keladry of Mindelan was most certainly a cat.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure why I've always thought of Kel as a cat, even though her coat of arms has an owl... But to me, that's always what she's been. Anyways, hope you enjoyed! :)


End file.
